Infrastructures such as oil refineries, pipes and roadway bridges are managed by use of non-destructive inspection (NDI) and/or non-destructive testing (NDT). By measuring internal integrity, an effective management plan can be produced.
Common modalities used for NDI/NDT include radiography and ultrasonics. Ultrasonic technology is particularly good for such inspections as it provides the ability to obtain quantifiable information such as thickness of components. Radiography is useful for visualization issues and indications of density. However, certain structures pose a challenge for proper NDI, such as insulated vessels. These structures are too thick for radiography and have a barrier (insulation) that prevents the use of ultrasonic technology.
There is therefore a need to provide new NDI/NDT techniques that overcome the aforementioned challenges.